District 6 champion Bishop Guilfoyle denied Pennsylvania's most productive offense on Friday to claim the program's first PIAA Class A football title with a 19-18 victory over uptempo Clairton.

Despite 212 rushing yards by Clairton sophomore Lamont Wade, the Bears were denied on a fourth-and-goal opportunity from the Bishop Guilfoyle 6 in the waning moments. Tailback Sam McCloskey's 12-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter lifted the Marauders (16-0), who held Clairton to 44 points below its season average.

The Bears (15-1), who won four consecutive PIAA titles (2009-2012), hit Hersheypark Stadium with national-best 940 points. McCloskey added a 22-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, and Bishop Guilfoyle quarterback Brandon Chadbourn also ran for a touchdown as the Marauders built a 13-12 halftime lead.

Clairton outgained the Marauders 471-274 in total yards, but the Bears nearly added six more in the final 48 seconds.

Clairton QB Ryan Williams, who completed 15 of 23 attempts for 156 yards and a first-quarter touchdown to Aaron Mathews, targeted James Hines on that final, fourth-down chance. Hines made a leaping grab over two defenders but momentum carried him through the end zone.

"Unreal. This is crazy. We said we were going to do this since fourth grade," said McCloskey, a Lehigh recruit. "This has been unreal. We battled hard, and it's just been crazy. I don't know what to say."

While Wade's effort set the WPIAL's single-season rushing mark, the Bears also hurt themselves with 142 penalty yards, also a PIAA Class A playoff record.

Bishop Guilfoyle, which stashed away seven shutouts in winning its first District 6 title since 1987, stood even after McCloskey capped an 11-play, 90-yard drive with 7:06 remaining in the opening half. Wade then hauled in a 61-yard TD pass from Mathews on a trick play that again had the Bears in front.

Roughly two minutes later, Chadbourn put the Marauders ahead for good, bouncing in from Clairton's 13. Josh Trybus' conversion kick made it 13-12.

"Going into the locker room at halftime, we definitely felt like we were better than a one-point lead on these guys," said Chadbourn, bound for Villanova next season. "They're a real tough team. They have some crazy speed, some really good skill players, and they fought us hard until the end."

The Bears also misfired on a two-point conversion attempt that would have granted a one-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Behind Wade's 64-yard touchdown run at the 10:29 mark, Harrison Dreher, taking the handoff from Williams, tried to stretch the ball over the line but was ruled short.